The Franconia Museum preserves the past, present, and future of the Franconia area in pictures, artifacts, and stories. The Franconia Museum reaches out by educating, enriching, and bringing together the greater community. We are a 501 (c) (3) organization led and run entirely by volunteers. The Museum also does exhibits at local libraries, and other community meeting places throughout the year.
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Looking across six lanes of traffic on Franconia Road, it is difficult to imagine that it was once a rural "rolling road" for Virginia tobacco on its way to the port city of Alexandria. Before it was a bedroom community, Franconia was the birthplace of the first Virginia governor from Northern Virginia, witness to a Mosby raid, and a thriving Afro-American community called Carrolltown. We at the Franconia Museum believe that you must know where you came from to know where you are going. Our Goals •To identify, codify, and protect the history of the Franconia area •To promote the heritage for the Franconia area •To provide educational opportunities for students and the greater community •To highlight and enhance the Spirit of Franconia Our Mission The Franconia Museum preserves the past, present, and future of the Franconia area in pictures, artifacts, and stories. The Franconia Museum reaches out by educating, enriching, and bringing together the greater community. We are a 501 (c) (3) organization led and run entirely by volunteers. The Museum also does exhibits at local libraries, and other community meeting places throughout the year.
Mission: The Franconia Museum preserves the past, present, and future of the Franconia area in pictures, artifacts, and stories. The Franconia Museum reaches out by educating, enriching, and bringing together the greater community. We are a 501 (c) (3) organization led and run entirely by volunteers. The Museum also does exhibits at local libraries, and other community meeting places throughout the year.
The Franconia Museum will be closing its doors for 30 days in response to the governor's guidelines to defeat the spread of coronavirus. The April Both Sides tour will also be rescheduled to October. Stay safe and take some time to read a history book while you are at home during the next weeks!
The Museum has a new sign in front of the Governmental Center that illuminates at night. Check it out as you drive by!
Franconia Museum will hold an Open House between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at its headquarters in the Franconia Government Center on Saturday, May 16, 2020. The government center is located at 6121 Franconia Road. There will be displays in the community room across from the Museum as well as music by Charlie Wood and Terry Lee. Featured will be a replica of Fitzgerald's Store and displays from Laurel Grove School and Nalls Produce as well as one about the railroad that helps define local history. Samples of nostalgic food items will be given out. Food items will not be on sale. Tea and water will be available. Heading up the program will be appearances by Freddie/Frankie Franconia, the Museum's new mascot. The mascot will pose for pictures with youngsters of all ages but will take breaks between appearances in the community room. If you are a Franconian, or wish to learn more about our historic community, put this event on your must do list
Help protect the community you cherish. Become a member of the Franconia Museum today.
Franconia Museum's cover photo
CHRISTMAS HOURS FOR BOOK SALES AT FRANCONIA MUSEUM! The Museum will be open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, December 18 through Friday, December 21 for sales of Museum books and books by members Don Hakenson, Nathaniel Lee and Carl Sell. Cash or credit cards accepted! Museum book bags available to carry home your gifts. Don Hakenson will be there to personally autograph copies about John Singleton Mosby.and the popular "This Forgotten Land" about the history of the Franconia area. Nathaniel Lee's "Iron Road of Franconia" about the railroad that runs through the community also will be available. Carl Sell writes about his ancestors and Jeb Stuart in the Civil War and activities at Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains. All of the Museum's Franconia Remembers series will be available. The Museum books provide a home-town look at the people who created the community we enjoy today.
If you enjoy shopping with Amazon and love our museum, then you will definitely love AmazonSmile! The concept is simple: for every purchase you make using AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate a percentage of that to us. No extra fees and the same purchase price you would get on Amazon.com. How cool is that?!
Make the Franconia Museum your AmazonSmile charity and a portion of your online purchases get donated to help support our preservation efforts at smile.amazon.com/ch/32-0003852
You missed a good time if you didn’t make it.
Great day today at Franconia Museum’s 17th Annual History Day! Lots of stories shared about some of Franconia’s very own residents who served in WWI. We also unveiled an informative new historical brochure that showcases notable locations in Lee District.
Here is the program of events for History Day!
Come out to have Charlie Wood and Terry Lee Ryan of the Mount Calvary Singers put a song in your heart at Franconia's WWI History Day at the Franconia Firehouse on Beulah Street! Sunday, November 18, from 12-4pm!
The Franconia Museum will be observing the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War 1 as the theme of this year's Franconia History Day. When I read about the plans for the day I noticed that the unit they were describing sounded very familiar to me. Sure enough I have an Alexandria ancestor that was killed France on October 25, 1918, and he was assigned to Company F, 116th Infantry Regiment, of the 29th Infantry Division. His name was Lee B. Magner, my great-great uncle, my Great Grandmother's half brother. So I pulled some photos from my archives and have loaded them here to honor him. He was not from Franconia, but during his short lifetime he lived in DC, Alexandria and Fairfax County in a little community called Sideburn near Fairfax Station.
The Franconia Museum honors those men of Fairfax County who served their country in the Great War.
Franconia Museum's cover photo
Franconia Museum's cover photo
Stoney Coppage just became the 1000th person to like the Franconia Museum page. I can't think of a person with more Franconia roots than Stoney. He went to Franconia Elementary School and was an outstanding athlete at Edison in the class of 1972. He lived right in the heart of Franconia, at the corner of Franconia Road and Valley View Drive, next to Franconia Hardware. I remember watching at least one Franconia Fire Department Labor Day Parade from his front yard in the 1960s.
Franconia Museum's cover photo
Franconia Museum's cover photo
The Franconia Museum would like to speak to someone with 3-D printing capability. Please contact our museum at [email protected] if you have information.
Support continued preservation and education efforts in Franconia every time you make a purchase online! It's simple with Amazon Smile!
When you shop at AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate to Franconia Museum Inc. Support us every time you shop.
From the Lee District Supervisor's office comes this important announcement:
Marlene Miller and Steve Hunt, better known as the publishers and main contributors for the Mount Vernon Voice announced earlier in February that they would be ending publication. Their work has made an indelible impact on the neighborhoods in Lee, bringing voices to our neighborhoods and telling stories that are unique to the southeastern region of Fairfax. If anything of note happened in our community, you could be sure that there would be a story about it in the next issue of the Mount Vernon Voice.
Marlene and Steve put over a decade of work into running a small but well-heard newspaper, and took immense pride in making sure their work was of the highest quality. The Voice was always authentic and rang true, keeping its finger on the district's pulse. We are fortunate to have such dedicated journalists, and our community is grateful for their years of service.
With the passing of Clarence Devers, the Franconia Museum has lost a valuable living history resource, so I thought I would post some of his photographs from our collection. Clarence was featured in a family story in "Franconia Remembers, volume 3" and was a contributor during the writing of the museum book about the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department. We will miss him.
Clarence Devers, a veteran of the Franconia Vol. Fire Dept., has recently passed away. He was involved almost from the beginning of FVFD, and is a military veteran. There will be a Memorial Service at Franconia Volunteer Fire Department on Sunday, February 11 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Franconia Museum honors his long community legacy tonight. Our prayers go out to the entire Devers family.
The Franconia Museum thanks all the participants and visitors who made yesterday's 15th Annual Franconia History Day a success! We look forward to seeing you all again throughout the year in 2017! Keep your local history alive!
Pre-Father’s Day Book Release and Signing at the Franconia Museum, located at 6121 Franconia Road (also known as the Franconia Governmental Center), Alexandria, Virginia 22310 between the hours of 6pm to 9pm, Thursday, June 16, 2016. Come and see the lastest Mosby book (See below) Hot off the Press by HMS PRODUCTIONS, INC.
(Hakenson, Mauro & Sherman!)
A Tour Guide and History of Col. John S. Mosby’s Combat Operations in Loudoun County, Virginia
By Donald C. Hakenson and Charles V. Mauro
One and a half years into the Civil War, John Singleton Mosby was given a small group of rangers from his former commander, General JEB Stuart to conduct independent partisan operations into Northern Virginia. These rangers would eventually become the Forty-third Battalion, Virginia Cavalry and would grow from nine to over 2,000 men.
Mosby’s mission was to attack and harass as many Union outposts, camps, and supply points he could find operating in Northern Virginia. By successfully raiding behind enemy lines Mosby would keep large numbers of Union soldiers guarding the city of Washington, thus denying federal forces in the field from fighting against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate army. Mosby is considered by military historians as the most successful leader of such partisan guerilla activities.
This book is your tour guide to over 100 locations in Loudoun County where Colonel John Singleton Mosby conducted his raids during the Civil War. It is also a guide to the locations of the historical markers dedicated to those raids, and the locations of the graves of Mosby’s Rangers who are buried in Loudoun County. It includes a map and the history associated with each raid, his men, and all the locations in the county associated with the Grey Ghost, Colonel John S. Mosby.
Contains 240 pages with index and 361 illustrations including tour map. $30 at Franconia Museum during the book signing or you can:
Make checks out to HMS Productions, Inc. and send to or send to Charles V. Mauro, 2508 Iron Forge Road, Herndon, VA 20171. The books are $35 which includes shipping.
The Franconia Museum is currently creating an exhibit on the history of youth sports in Franconia, especially looking at the Pioneer League. If you have any old photographs or memories to share with the museum, please pay us a visit during our regular operating hours or email us at [email protected]
6121 Franconia Road
Alexandria, VA
22310
| Monday | 10:00 - 14:00 |
| Tuesday | 10:00 - 14:00 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 - 14:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 - 14:00 |
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